Recreational or all terrain vehicles (ATV's) have become increasingly popular as a mode of transportation, particularly for varied types of off-road activities. Typically, the ATV is equipped with a storage rack which is commonly and integrally found at the front and/or rear of the vehicle. The rack consists of a horizontal supporting surface made up of a series of tubular steel members which are spaced in a manner to allows items, such as storage containers, to be releasably attached using bungee cords with hooks or the like for transport.
With the increasing popularity of such vehicles, the common storage rack, as described, is inefficient for transporting certain items which may be needed in order to participate in a number of outdoor activities. This inefficiency has prompted modifications or additions to existing storage racks. For example U.S. Pat. No. 5,878,929, issued to Leonard, describes a support device for retaining either a bow adapter or a gun rack which is mounted to the rear rack of an ATV. The device utilizes an anchoring member allowing the passage of respective U-bolts to enable releasable attachment. U.S. Pat. No. 5,595,333, issued to Boston, describes a similar releasable attachment used in conjunction with the storage rack for retaining a bow, rifle, shotgun or other similar implement.
Another outdoor activity for which the use of recreational vehicles is finding increased favor is the sport of ice fishing, owing to the size, overall maneuverability, and lightweight nature of ATVs in general. The typical ice fisherman, however, commonly utilizes a number of cylindrical pails or buckets, each of which contain bait, fishing poles, and/or other related materials such as tipups, beverages, clothing and mittens. Though storage racks typically found on ATVs allow a number of items to be conveniently retained during travel, these racks are not presently conducive to allow pails, buckets or similarly constructed items to be transported securely. Therefore, alternate means must somehow be arranged when using off road vehicles for such activities.